New York Won't Change us Part 2 Trink
by Lincoln Finger Lickin Larkin
Summary: -PART 2- Now out of Baltimore, Link and Tracy have a whole new series of adventures headed their way, but as they move forward, their story only gets more dramatic. Penny's keeping a secret from Seaweed, Link's being chased by one of his co-workers, Corny and Maybelle might not be as perfect of a couple as we thought, and Tracy has a unexpected backstory. Can they pull through?
1. Chapter 1: I know what love is

One year later...

She watched him in secret delight, giggling at how similar he was to a little boy.

Link was peering out the window with huge eyes, like he'd seen the most amazing thing on earth. He had his hand pressed up against the glass, a cat carrier that held Romeo on his lap.

Tracy raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend and listened to the quiet bumps of the railroad track. "You look so fascinated," she said.

Link glanced at her for a second then back to the window, then at her again, "Sorry," he breathed out, "Its just, I've never been on a train before."

"What?" She gasped, baffled, "How?" Link was a popular guy. He'd never been to places out of Baltimore with his friends?

"My mom had every intention to bring me while she was alive, but she didn't, and after she died, my dad was too depressed to take me on trips." He explained with a shrug, "so all this is really cool to me."

Tracy nodded understandingly. She herself hadn't been on a train for a while since her mother never left the house.

Link held her hand and squeezed it gently, giving her a little smile, "This is actually happening," He said, "we're gonna be living together. For real!"

"I know," Tracy beamed, "I'm really excited."

The couple had waited so long for this, and finally, they were headed to New York City.

Romeo whined from inside the cat carrier and Link slipped a puppy treat through the thin, metal bars, making Tracy giggle.

"Seaweed was telling me about how he's gonna move to New York soon too." He said.

His girlfriend yawned. "Really?"

"Yeah," Link smiled at her cuteness, "he wants to take Penny with him. Apparently she loves the city lights."

Tracy nuzzled into his shoulder and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long ride. "It'd be nice if they were here with us."

"Mmhm." Link ran his fingers through her hair as she slowly dozed off. He laid his head on top of hers and sighed contentedly. Even Romeo was becoming sleepy and had laid down, paws crossed. It was going to be a long trip, but that didn't mean it would be a bad one.

Tracy squealed and held the cuff of Link's jacket sleeve when she first saw the city.

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her.

It was dark out, but all the lights of New York were lit and the whole place looked so lively.

"It's pretty, right?" Link said, a blush on his face while he pulled her hand to lead her down the street, Romeo on a leash in his other one.

Tracy nodded excitedly and took in the smell of bagels and coffee. She listened to the cars and trains as they rolled swiftly by and smiled. "This place is so magical."

"I know," he smiled. "I'm happy you like it."

"I love it!" Tracy beamed as Link spun her in a circle. "How's everyone at the studio?"

"They're okay," He said, "Norman still sucks though."

Norman was one of Link's co-stars. He was a supporting character in the show but liked to act like his role was more important than Link's and that Link should listen to everything he said and do everything the way he wanted. He also made a lot of rude jokes about other people in the cast. Not many people liked him.

"What's his problem anyway?" Tracy asked, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know!" Link exclaimed, "he thinks he's so cool with his surfer-boy haircut, but he's not! He's such a frickin' jerk..."

"Isn't he like the idiot of the show or something too?"

"Yeah!" He said, "He plays the dumb guy! Jack! His own girlfriend is only dating him to get money to buy medicine for brother so he won't be sick anymore!"

Tracy shook her head, "that guy's not gonna get too far."

"He's really not," Link sighed, "but all the girls love him for some reason. He acts like a prince in front of them!"

"Kinda like Amber," She commented, laughing.

Link chuckled with her, "Yeah, but she wouldn't even bother to act nice."

"I wanna meet him a little," Tracy smiled, "just so he can amuse me."

"So should come with me tomorrow, then he can."

She frowned a little and tilted her head, "I can't," she said, "Collage, remember?" Tomorrow was her first day.

Link mentally slapped himself and nodded, "Oh, right." He shook his head, "man, I thought I was still young. Why am I forgetting things?"

Tracy giggled, running her fingers through her hair, "I think you're exaggerating."

"I hope," Link grinned, "Are you excited?"

She sighed a bit with a smile, "Yeah, but I'd rather be with you,"

"It doesn't get much better than that, Trace."

"Looks like I won," Link commented, laying in the bed with her a few hours later.

She was embarrassed to be with him like this. Sure, they had cuddled before, they were cuddling back on the train, but this? This was different. Everything he said, she could feel it got against the nape of her neck, and he held her so lovingly, nuzzling into her shoulder. He made her feel special. "What'd you win?" She asked softly.

His response came almost before she was even finished. "You." He said, "I won you."

She stayed silent for a moment, coming to love the sounds of the city. "There wasn't much competition," Tracy murmured, closing her eyes.

He scoffed and she felt him shake his head, "You'd be surprised."

"What do you mean?"

Link sighed, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth, "Well at first, since you didn't have many guy friends, I figured that I could get you to like me without having to worry about any of the other boys, but then, I realized how many of the guys actually did like you and I was like 'holy crap. I'm in trouble.'"

Tracy giggled and turned to look at him, "Who liked me?" She questioned, honestly having no knollage of her fan club until now.

"Ugh," He groaned, "where do I start? Brad, Mikey, Joey, IQ-"

"IQ?" Tracy laughed, "You were worried about IQ?"

Link nodded, blushing, "Yeah! He's so mellow, I thought he'd take advantage and come up to you while you were crying or something and say, 'Link's a jerk right? I'm so sorry, he doesn't deserve you.' Then you'd see how 'caring' he was and ask him if he wanted to go to the movies together! Then things would just happen and all of a sudden you'd be dating..."

"You know that wouldn't happen." She smiled, eyebrow raised.

Link returned it and buried his face in his pillow with a sigh, "Now ih woht." He mumbled into the fabric.

Tracy rolled her eyes playfully and turned away from him again, feeling strong arms around her. She felt her heart flutter. Even the biggest hot-shots like Link had insecurities just how everyone else did.

Learning to love Link was like learning to ride a bike. At first you don't know what to do. You fumble and wobble about awkwardly, then you start to get it, and slowly push on the peddles to catch up. Once you understand how the bike works, you can ride to places you never thought you'd be able to go to. You can experience things you've never felt before. New depths of happiness, fear, nervousness, love.

When she was younger, she had always pondered on what that word actually meant, but now, she knew. She was sure of it. Being with Link, wanting the best for him, risking everything for him, comforting him, listening to him, laughing with him, smiling at him, being able to make it through fights with him, she decided, was the kind of love that she wanted, and had. Tracy wasn't about to give that away. Not for anything.


	2. Chapter 2: Fate will choose

"Hey!" Tracy spoke into the phone while putting her shoes on for school.

Link stood promptly next to her, leaning with his shoulder against the wall, legs crossed, drinking a tall glass of orange juice in a clear cup. He was still a bit disheveled from sleep and wore a tank-top with pajama hair was messy and brown now that it wasn't gelled back with all sorts of products. Earlier in the morning he had looked into the mirror and was stunned. Tracy asked what was wrong and he said it was nothing and that sometimes, he just forgot what he actually looked like without his hair all did up.

"It's lighter than I thought," she had told him. "It's like my mom's hair color."

"That's a fun comparison." He chuckled.

"That'd be cool," Tracy chirped at who ever was on the other line, "And Seaweed and Penny too." She paused for a moment ask the other person talked and then nodded, "'Kay," she said.

Link watched as her eyes darted to him and she handed him to my phone, "It's my mom." She said, and walked away to get ready with a bounce in her step.

Link smiled and lifted the phone to his ear, "Hi, Mrs. Turnblad!" He grinned to himself, taking another sip of orange juice. He twirled the drink in his hand, it was going to get warm soon. He had to drink it fast.

"Oh hun, you can call me Edna." She chuckled.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, setting his cup down, "How are you?"

He could almost hear her smiling "I'm great, sweetie."

She went silent for a moment and he opened his mouth to asked if everything was alright, but before he could speak, she started talking again.

"Is Tracy in the room, Link?"

Link swallowed and heard the bedroom door shut. He stretched the phone cord and looked down the hall. Nothing. "No?" He said, confusedly.

"Okay," she sighed, a bit relieved, "because I need to talk to you alone." The boy tilted his head to the side, pondering on the fact whatever she was so desperate to say was something she couldn't say when Tracy was around. "Alright..." He said, voice soft.

"What are," Edna trailed off, "What are your intentions?" Her voice echoed though his head.

"My," he repeated, "My intentions?"

She noticed his confusion and softly cleared her throat, "With Tracy."

"Oh," Link said stupidly, and mentally punched himself for acting so dumb, "Then, uhm-"

"Do you wanna get married?"

Link gulped. For some reason, it sounded so much more mature when an adult mentioned it. "Well, some day."

"Some day soon?" Edna asked. She felt like the over protective parent, but she literally had a list of things she had to ask Link that she got from Wilbur. This was like his test. Wilbur was getting way more trusting with Link, but he wanted a final impression of her daughter's boyfriend.

"I think," Link blushed a little, thumb nail between his teeth, "I think things like that are for fate to decide."

'Good answer,' Edna thought. It wasn't a yes, and it wasn't a no. "Do you, um,- Do you drink alcohol?" She asked, reading Wilbur's list with a raised eyebrow. 'There's no way.'.

Link was quick to answer this one, and it was the absolute truth. "Hmm? Oh, actually I really hate how beer and wine and stuff tastes. I have a sweet tooth, and all that stuff is kinda bitter so,"

"Right, right." Edna nodded, smiling to herself, "A lot of people are like that. I don't care for it all that much myself."

"Yeah, I got it from my mom. She wasn't into coffee or anything with lemon either."

She chuckled and licked her lips, glancing at the clock. Tracy would have to leave for school, and Link would have to drive her there, unless she was taking a bus. Which she doubted would happen based off of how caring Link was, "Alright, Link. I've gotta let you go. Tracy has collage right?"

"Yep!" Link nodded to no one in particular, "It was nice talking to you."

"Same here, Bye Link!" Edna smiled and hung up. She smiled at the list again, she skipped some things because they were just ridiculous. Like, 'How many female phone numbers do you have written down?' and 'On an average day, how many times do you think about my daughter in bed?'

There was no way she could ask him something like that. Besides, he wasn't that kind of guy.

Her eyes traveled to the bottom of the list and her heart leapt to her throat. Her mouth hung open and she couldn't breathe. She didn't tell him the most important thing.

And it was something he needed to know.

"What's up?" Tracy smiled, walking into the room, noticing his slightly flushed face.

"Oh, nothing." He grinned, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "You look beautiful." He whispered.

Romeo jumped up and scratched at his ankle with his paw pads, careful not to hurt him.

Link chuckled and stumbled backwards, "Not you!" He teased and knelt down to pour his friend some food.

Tracy giggled and picked her bag up from the table. She looked him up and down, then laughed harder. "You look prepared for the day." She commented. "You excited for Saturday?"

Link looked down and saw himself still in pajamas. "Right I'm not even dressed," he face palmed. "And yeah, I'm pretty stoked, IQ's not comin'!"

Tracy rolled her eyes with a giggle as he picked up his keys.

"Now lets get you to school!"


	3. Chapter 3: Elizabeth's dilemma

"Larkin," Norman commented when Link walked into the studio, "Looks like Mr. Perfect's late." The makeup artists were powdering his face and contouring his cheeks as he spoke, and he could tell they were annoyed at the fact that he wasn't standing still.

"Norman, stop moving they're trying to do their jobs," Link told him, "If you go out on screen looking like a clown, they're gonna be the ones getting fired." He had reminded him of this many times, yet the blonde never actually listened.

"Why is that my problem?" He shrugged, making the makeup people sigh in annoyance.

"Because if you keep getting people fired, no one will want you in their movies, because no one likes workin' with a jerk."

Norman rolled his green eyes as Link walked away. "Always gotta be doin' the right thing." he scoffed. "Liz!"

A brunette with round bifocals shot her head up at the sound of her name and quickly squeaked a nervous "Yes?", making her way over to him. Maybe this time, he'd actually treat her like a girlfriend more than a pet. She was a pretty girl. She had a model's body, a beautiful face and the sweetest personality.

"Won't cha be a doll go get me some water?" Norman said, not even bothering to make eye-contact with her.

"Yes," she whispered, a little heartbroken.

It's not that she wanted to be with Norman. In fact, she didn't like him much at all, but since she was so pretty, he had promised her money if she acted as his girlfriend for the rest of the time he was acting in the first season of the show. They were only a few months in, and Liz already hated every moment of it, but all of this was for her brother. He was sick and she needed the money so that her family could afford the medicine to treat him, and so, Liz would deal with it, no matter how much of a jerk he was.

Link stood at the drink table with her, making himself an iced-tea. Oh what she would give to be dating him instead. He was sweet and loyal and fair. He was always laughing with a group of people surrounding him and completely giving it his all while acting, and yet, her 'boyfriend' was so rude to him. He would purposely mess up his scene, and tell him his lines were wrong when they were right. He was just like that. Hateful and slimy with lies and betrayal.

"Norman treatin' you like chopped liver again?" Link asked sympathetically.

She was surprised to hear his voice. They'd never talked before, and he'd noticed how she'd been treated? He looked at her with those eyes. The ones that shined like water of the Caribbean Sea. A turquoise blue you could never in your life forget.

"Umm," she struggled, a blush growing hot on her face. Her tongue suddenly felt ten times bigger and she couldn't speak.

"Sorry," he said, chuckling, "That came outta no where, right?" The boy sighed and went back to stirring the sugar into his drink, "You just looked sad so,"

"It's really not as bad as you make it out to be," she said, pouring water into a paper cup from the dispenser, "Sure, he treats me like a slave, but you've gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. It's worth it."

He fell silent and she turned to see him staring, a smile spread across his face.

'She's pretty independent,' He thought, 'just like her.'

"What?" Liz asked, furrowing her brow with nervousness.

"Oh," Link said, "it's nothing, you just reminded me of someone for a second." He turned and walked away sipping his iced tea through a striped straw, before spinning his head back and adding, "Good luck, Elizabeth!"

She felt her heady sink. Not only was he looking at her like that because she looked like someone else, but he wasn't using her nickname.

"Here," Liz mumbled to Norman, handing him the little paper cup of water she had gotten for him.

He took it and didn't say anything more to her, continuing to chat with the other cast members.

Liz plopped back down on her chair. Maybe after all this, she could start dating Link. It would definitely be more enjoyable. She looked over to see him nodding his head, lips wrapped around his straw as the director talked to him about something. He laughed and the director laughed too, patting him on the back and walking away.

Liz sighed. At least the season would over soon. At least her and Norman would be over soon.

But how would she win Link's attention anyway? Maybe she could try contacts.

At the end of the day, a girl came into the studio and Link left with her.

Liz felt a pang of jealously as he hugged the stranger with a beaming smile, but she had to be a friend. She had to.

"How was it, Trace?" She heard him ask her.

The girl took a moment to answer, thinking, "Well, better than high school. They had a drama club."

Liz watched his eyes light up.

"Ooo, you gonna audition?" He asked.

She smiled slyly and pulled a paper from her bag. "Who says I didn't already?"

Link raised his eyebrows, excited for her, "And you got in? That quickly?"

"You bet!" She grinned, nudging him on the arm, "Am I awesome, or am I awesome?"

He laughed and started walking out the door with her, "Okay, you're pretty awesome."

Liz turned and walked back to Norman, not wanting to feel even more jealous than she already did. The girl was a friend. She had to be a friend. Liz was going to win. She knew it. Whether that girl wanted it or not, Link would be hers. She just had to put in a little effort.


	4. Chapter 4: What am I doing?

"Hey there, big boy!" Tracy exclaimed, picking Romeo up from the floor and sitting him in her lap. He had gotten a lot bigger recently and she was starting to struggle when picking him up.

"Alright," Link said, eyes scanning over a piece of paper, "who was the twenty second president?"

Tracy narrowed her eyes "Uh, Cleveland, right?" She tilted her head and Romeo took the opportunity to lick her fingers.

Link closed one eyes and looked back to the paper, "First name?" He said, pushing.

She sighed and chewed on her cheek for a second. "It sounds like gopher, I think."

"Kinda,"

"Grover?" Tracy asked, wincing.

He smiled and nodded, "Grover Cleveland. Now use your brain powers to remember that." He said pressing his pointer fingers to her temples.

She closed her eyes and pretended to have it locked into her mind.

"You've got the 'over' part right, now you just need to remember the 'grow'," Link hummed, and his eyes lit up, "okay when you get a question about the twenty second president, I want you to imagine me standing in a feild with a rake, growing twenty two carrots while singing a song about Cleveland."

"I can do that." Tracy giggled and he slid his hand back and forth over the top of her head quickly, messing it up a little.

"There's my girl!" he said as if she was a puppy. "Kay, now who was the fifteenth president?"

"James Buchanan." She answered automatically.

"Woah!" Link exclaimed and shook his hand like he'd just touched something hot. "There ya go!"

"His name reminds me of bananas," Tracy shrugged, with a smile, "that's why I remembered."

"We should find something that they remind you of for all of these!" Link said, excited, "it'll be much easier that way."

After a week of collage, Tracy decided that she really did want to take her school seriously. She started studying and Link helped her gladly. He was learning things too. At at night, when he closed his eyes, he would ask Tracy to read her monologue to him, and she would, voice quiet and gentle. That's how he'd fall asleep, holding her as she whispered reassuring words on a page to him.

"We can take it easy now, if you want." he said, "You don't have school tomorrow and I don't have studio. Besides, our families and friends are coming over."

"Okay," she stretched her arms out in front of her, "What do you wanna do then?"

His eyebrows flew up high on his head and he gave her his best big blue puppy eyes, "Couch cuddles?" He asked with a pouting lip.

Tracy blushed and her mouth slowly stretched into a smile as she looked at him lovingly. "How could I say no to that face?"

Liz sat up straight at her makeup stand, applying a soft layer of lip gloss. She moved the small stick slowly over her mouth and popped her lips when she was finished, putting the cap back on the tiny canister. The girl stopped and studied herself, a bit horrified. What was she thinking? Almost twenty years old and chasing after a boy that probably had no interest in her whatsoever. It was crazy.

"He's not just any boy," her mind told her, "He's Link Larkin."

She had put contacts in and curled her hair into soft ringlets, just like how that girl he was with the other day had hers. Liz swore that she'd get Link to like her better than that other girl, she just had to get close enough to Link to make him realize that that friend of his was nothing compared to her. She was going to win.

Standing at his steps that night, she knocked on the door, and after a while, heard footsteps coming to let her in.

Link stuck his torso through the door seeming confused, but then saw her and rubbed his eyes at her new appearance, "Elizabeth?" He asked tiredly, "Its so late, what are you doing here?"

Liz felt a stab at her heart. She frowned at him, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"A little," he murmured, "How did you know where I live?"

The girl's eyes blinked quickly and she looked down to her feet, shuffling a bit in her spot, "There's a paper in the studio that says where everyone's place is," she explained, watching him nod, "I brought these for you. They're chocolates."

Link's eyes widened as she handed him a silver box.

"Thanks for taking to me the other day, it really lifted my spirits," She went on, feeling a bit like an idiot.

He took it from her hands and gave her one of his hundred watt smiles, eyes still a bit tired "Thanks!" Link chirped, "It really wasn't that big of a deal,"

The two went silent and Elizabeth secretly hoped it was because he was admiring her new style. Really though, he just wanted to get back to cuddling with Tracy.

"Well," Liz said, "I guess I'll let you go to sleep then." She smiled.

Link's eyes flickered blue for a second and he nodded "'Kay. Night." He started to close the door, but right before he was completely back in his apartment, she called out to him.

"Wait!" She stopped him, maybe a little too urgently, "Can you um, can you call me Liz?"

Link shrugged and licked his lips, eyes half open, "Uhm, sure."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Night." He closed the door and took a few steps back into the hallway.

Tracy showed up behind her boyfriend, scratching her neck while Romeo came from behind her, tongue hanging out. "What was that about?" She asked, stretching to be tall enough to put her chin on his shoulder.

"Norman's girlfriend," he said, a bit confused, "She gave me these in thanks for saying hi to her at the drink station."

"That's random," Tracy commented as he nuzzled his nose into her hair.

"Yeah," he murmured, and shook the box in front of her, "want some?"

"You know I do!" She beamed up at Link and he laughed with a grin. Little did they know, Liz was trying her hardest to win Link over, and that was only stage one.


	5. Chapter 5: Car rides and confessions

"You look happy," Edna commented disbelievingly, looking at her husband who had a smile plastered on his pale face while they drove to where their daughter was staying with Link.

"That's because I am," Wilbur said turning to look at her, sea green eyes loving, "I've decided that I trust Link."

She blinked in surprise, wanting to stand up and look down on him from above, "You have?" She breathed.

He nodded and returned his gaze to the road, a content sigh leaving him, "That boy, he's a bit of a greaser, but he's a good fella'," Wilbur swallowed, feeling a little overwhelmed with emotions, "and I know that he seriously does love Tracy, and she loves him. Golly does she love him!"

Edna giggled a bit at his childish remark but leaned back and listened to him as he told her what he thought.

"Back at the pageant, I was watchin' him real hard," He smiled at the thought, "I remember seeing the police walk up to our baby girl, ready to take her away, and I was gonna go up there, I was about to walk over and try my hardest to stop them because I couldn't let her get hurt, but before I could even take a few steps in her direction, Link was there. He stood right in front of Tracy, facing the officers like he was ready to sacrifice his life if it came down to that." Wilbur shook his head and licked his lips, face softening, "I swear, I've never saw someone with their mind so made up before. Right after that, when their song was ending, when they were getting closer to each other than they ever had, I thought 'If he's really that kind of man, the kind that protects the ones he cares about without a second thought, I guess I can let him have a kiss from her, if that was what he wanted as his part in justice.' I wasn't about to stop him. I feel bad that I wasn't able to see it before, but there's really no one that I'd rather her be with."

Edna nodded as silence seemed to take over the ride. To hear Wilbur finally see the good in Link, was heartwarming. She could tell he meant every word that he said too. Closing her eyes, she smiled, and when she spoke, her words were soft like a cloud. They seemed to echo through the soundlessness of their trip, "I'm sure Tracy'd be happy to hear you say things like that."

He nodded and smiled. "Maybe I was a little harsh with those questions."

Her blood froze a bit and she cleared her throat, remembering her mistake after hanging up the phone the other day, "Wilbur?" Edna shuffled in her seat, "I didn't tell him."

Her husband stopped at the corner of the street where his daughter and her boyfriend lived in an apartment, just to talk, "What didn't you tell him?" He asked.

"You know," she trailed off, a bit nervously, "about Tracy..."

Wilbur's voice died a little when he responded, remembering what had happened with her all those years ago. "Oh."

They sat there for a minute, hurting. They felt their hearts beating like knifes against their chest.

"He doesn't need to know about that right now anyway, _Tracy_ doesn't even know about that." Wilbur went on, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Edna sighed, "but I feel like he has a right to know, and I know that telling him could cause all sorts of problems, they could get into fights because he told her, but Link should know."

"Right," Wilbur said, "How about this? We'll tell him today. We have to make sure he knows not to talk to her about it though."

Edna looked down at her feet, eyebrows furrowing, "Alright."

"Hey guys!" Link beamed as the couple showed up at the door. Tracy smiled happily and ran to hug them, barely letting them take a step out of the hallway.

"Ma! Daddy!"

"Tracy!" Edna cried, embracing her daughter as Link came running behind her. She squeezed Link to her chest, like he was her own son, with Tracy under her other arm.

"Hun, they're grown, you don't needa' baby them anymore," Wilbur laughed, giving his own share of hugs and smiles.

"Is anyone else here?" Edna asked, looking around for signs of another person

"Nope, you guys are the first!" Tracy told them.

Just then, Romeo came darting out the house towards the four. Panting with a sly grin. He reached up to try and jump on Edna who picked him up and cooed at him, "Hey there buddy boy! Haven't seen you in a while! You're gettin' so big!"

"He sure is!" Link made an identical face to the one that the puppy was wearing, "He grows up too fast..."

"Penny?" Seaweed whispered softly to his girlfriend who sat in the back seat with him. She had been staring out the window for the past hour and not said a word to him. He had tried to talk to her earlier but she would only either nod or shake her head, completely brushing him off, "Are you okay?" He asked. He had proposed the same question that morning but she hadn't heard him.

"I'm fine, Seaweed!" She snapped.

Seaweed flinched. He'd barely ever heard her yell. Except for maybe once when someone judged him by his skin color, but this was different. This voice was directed at him.

Sitting up in shotgun, Maybelle winced. She had known what was wrong with the girl, but she wasn't going to say anything. Not yet. Penny needed to talk with him about it herself. Maybelle couldn't be the one who told him this. It had to be her. Turning from the steering wheel, Corny made the same face towards her. 'This is bad.' He mouthed as if that much wasn't obvious.

Maybelle nodded. Penny was only under stress, but Seaweed was thinking he did something that upset her. When in actuality, she was only nervous. Her nails were bitten down to the beds. Her eyes were swollen. Every once in a while she'd look down at her abdomen with a scornful face. Why had this happened?

(A/N- DUN DUN DUN! If you guys haven't figured out what's bothering Penny, you'll find out soon! Sorry for the cliffy!)


	6. Chapter 6: Let me talk to you

Tracy was the first to notice when her best friend's stress when she walked through the door.

Penny had greeted her, the Turnblads, Mr. Larkin, and Link as cheerfully as she could despite her mood. Tracy understood her better than anyone. Penny was highly aware of that, and she knew that Tracy knew that something was definitely wrong here.

Maybelle stuck by her side the best she could, while Seaweed flaked off, feeling hurt and confused. Corny had his arm around Maybelle and was worried about the couple he knew the best but decided to be as loving as possible to her, for comfort.

At times like these, Penny Pingleton missed high school. She missed what it was like when everything was okay at the end of the year. Tracy had Link. She had Seaweed, and even Corny had found love for someone else. Everyone was getting along. They would just laugh and dance all day.

But this wasn't high school anymore. They were grown now. Sure, Penny had only just turned nineteen but she wasn't a kid anymore.

Suddenly, she felt a pang in her heart. Seaweed. Poor Seaweed had no idea what was going on. He thought that he hurt her, or that she was mad at him for something he did or didn't do, but it just wasn't true.

However, it wasn't like she could just waltz up in front of him and tell him the truth. It wasn't that easy. She knew that he'd have to find out at some point, and if she waited too long, he could get mad at her for it telling him sooner. There just wasn't a way to win.

"Tracy?" She choked out while sitting on the couch, after only seven minutes of being at their apartment.

The smiley girl turned to her, cheeks a blush pink from Link's soft kiss against her skin only seconds ago when he got up to get a drink. "Hmm?" She hummed to her.

Penny's heart pounded, "Can I talk to you? Somewhere alone?"

Tracy raised her eyebrows in suspicion. Her friend looked so nervous. Her face was blotchy, her eyes were red, and she swore she hadn't seen Seaweed say a word to her since they got here. She was acting like she was about to explode. "Sure?" Tracy asked, her tone more of a question than a straight response.

Confusedly, she led Penny into the bathroom and locked the door behind them.

"Link?"

The boy heard his name and immediately swiveled his head towards the voice wth a smile, "Yeah?" He beamed.

Edna stood a few feet away from him, worried. She glanced around, making sure no one was around to hear what was happening. "I need to tell you something." She stated, stepping a bit closer.

He noticed her urgency and tilted his head, "Okay," Link said slowly, not really understanding what in the world was happening. Where was Tracy?

Edna brought her fist up to her mouth, pondering on where to start. She wasn't sure how to tell him the truth. The air was tense and she saw him look around, probably trying to find her daughter. Where had she went? That didn't matter. She couldn't hear this anyway. "Do you remember when I called you the other day?" She grabbed his attention.

Link blushed, feet shuffling a little as he quickly looked down at the floor, trying his hardest find something to make him stop being so embarrassed. "Yeah?" He said, realizing that he probably sounded like a total dork.

"Well, I forgot to tell you something,"

Link swallowed. Oh no. If there was something that was supposed to be in that conversation, it had to be another personal thing. Then again, she didn't say it was a question. He was quiet for a second before he spoke again, extremely softly this time, "What'd you want to tell me?" He asked meekly, looking to her with curious eyes.

Edna dropped her head in her hands and groaned inwardly, "Uh," she fumbled. Where did you start when talking about these things? The kind of things that could brake a mans heart? "You see, when Tracy was thirteen, she got in a really bad car accident..."

Link shivered, remembering that time vividly. It was only a year after his mother had died and he wasn't exactly back to the fun loving guy that he always was. He remembered seeing Tracy have stitches down her bottom lip from the accident. She couldn't seem to walk straight without Penny there for her either. "I remember," He said, "It wasn't a great year."

Edna nodded, chewing on her lip with a pained, 'remembering the past' face. "Well we brought her to the emergency room, and she stayed in coma for a week,"

Link's face turned white. He'd never knew that part of the story. That would mean- "You almost lost her..." he said. He almost had a life without Tracy. She almost died. He'd be sure to hold her tighter than usual that night. Just to remind himself that she was there. He couldn't be without her.

Her mother wiped tears from her eyes. The thought was to much for her. Losing Tracy, her only daughter would have been beyond horrible. Edna didn't have a doubt in her mind to go against the fact that she would have killed herself. "When she woke up, we were so, so happy," She said, "but the doctors told us something while she wasn't around and it really hurt."

Link furrowed his brows, upset. He could feel bad news coming. His heart pounded against his chest a little. The doctors said something? "What was it?"

"You have to promise not to tell Tracy." She told him.

He shook his head, eyes narrowed, "Why?" He asked. "Isn't it wrong to keep things from her?"

"Just promise you won't tell her."

Link sighed and hesitantly nodded to the woman, uncertain. "I promise." Edna swallowed. There was no way to put this gently. For a second, she thought of Wilbur when he said that Link didn't need to know at the moment, but no, he had a right to, and she knew this would hurt him, but he had to know. He had to. "The accident messed her up inside," this was it, "there's a seventy five percent chance that she won't be able to ever have a baby."

(A/n- I feel so bad for Link... ?)


	7. Chapter 7: Don't tell ANYONE

"So what's wrong?" Tracy asked with a smile once in the bathroom.

Penny bit her thumbnail apprehensively, hazel green eyes flickering down to the floor for a brief moment before she looked to her best friend nervously, "You can't tell anyone," she stuttered, voice hoarse.

Tracy furrowed her eyebrows a bit, but nodded, "Sure?"

Penny took a few steps forward and leaned down next to her ear. Her breath hitched. The only other person who she had told was Maybelle, and that was only because she was there at the time. Corny found out too, soon enough. Probably because Maybelle told him.

Telling Tracy though? That was hard. She'd have a million questions and ramble on about how this was a problem. Though, it was. A big problem. Heart pounding she told her the painful words she'd kept in for what felt like forever, but was only a couple of days. "Tracy," Penny said, whispering, "I'm pregnant." It felt like a hundred pounds was carried off of her shoulders. Sure, it was a bit sudden, but it was out there, and Penny thought she was going to die.

Tracy's eyes widened but she didn't smile. Her mouth hung open, she shook her head, "What?"

"Don't make me say it again..." Penny pleaded, biting her lip.

"When?!- Wha?- What did Seaweed say? Are you messing with me?" Her friend bombarded her with questions, features confused and a bit panicked.

Penny struggled to regain her posture and composure. "No," she whispered. She was higher pitched than usual, nervousness coming to claim her, "and Seaweed,-"

"And Seaweed what?"

Penny bit her tongue. Sinking her teeth down into the pink, she felt a cut and tasted a bit of blood leak to the back of her mouth. Tracy gave her an expecting look and she was quiet. Tears finally coming, she spoke, "...I didn't tell him."

"Penny," her friend sighed, and hugged her tight, hurting for the girl she'd always been with since kindergarten, "How'd you let this happen?"

"Well I was staying at his house!" Penny flushed, trying to keep her cries quiet, "And you know, one thing led to another! You can't tell me you've never done it with Link!"

Tracy turned beet red as she remembered one of the nights while she was still in Baltimore. How Link had came all the way from New York to see her. She remembered the feeling of his velvet skin against hers in the dark, and the words he'd whispered to her. "Well yeah," she stuttered, face hot from the memory, "but it was different! We were careful!"

Penny pressed a hand towel to her eyes and tried to stifle her whimpers and sobs with it, "We weren't being careless! We didn't have protection, so he said he'd pull out, and he did, but some- uhm- stuff got near there and I thought nothing would happen..."

"Pen," Tracy said, helping her fix her hair, "If you're being serious, and if you really are pregnant, we have to tell Link and-"

The girl spun around and looked at her with wide, scared, green eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed as she choked a laugh from deep within her throat, "Don't you see? If we told Link, he'd tell Seaweed!"

"No," Tracy said gently as she reached for the door handle, "I just wanna help, Link can help you tell Seaweed. Stay here."

"Tracy! No!" Penny began, but she had already left and closed the door behind her.

"Link?"

Link spun on his heels, to see his girlfriend looking back at him.

His eyes were swollen and he looked like he'd been shot. He was slumped a little after hearing Edna talk to him about Tracy's situation. Today was supposed to be happy. "Hey Darlin'," he said, trying to keep his Elvis act up.

"Hey. Are you okay?" She asked, innocent as ever, looking up at him with her soft chocolate eyes.

I've been better, his mind said. He smiled the best he could, pushing that thought away as she latched her small fingers onto the cuff of his jacket. "Of course!" He nodded a bit too enthusiastically.

Edna watched with a wince. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Oh, um, okay then. I need you to come with me for a sec." Tracy told him and he nodded. She smiled at her mom before leading him down the hall to the bathroom.

"Penny?" He raised an eyebrow upon seeing the blonde staring in the mirror, looking so hurt, "What's wrong?" He'd always be there for the people Tracy cared about.

"Nothing, Link!" Her voice rose an octave as she turned to him, mascara barely staying on her lashes, "Please, just go."

Link frowned and looked at Tracy, then shook his head, "But I wanna help..."

"Pen," his girlfriend intercepted gently, "just tell him. He won't throw you under the bus. I promise. We care about you so much. We'd never tell anyone if it hurt you."

Penny sighed, taking a deep breath while the boy looked at her, seeming confused. "I'm having a baby," she spoke quickly, "Seaweed doesn't know, and I can't tell him."

Link felt a pang in his heart, and he didn't know what the feeling was. He flashed back to talking with Edna and suddenly, for some weird reason, was envious. Not of Penny's situation, or that she was upset, but all of a sudden, he wanted a baby too. He knew that trying wouldn't hurt Tracy. They'd done it before without trying to have a baby, and she was fine. What was he thinking though? They weren't even married. For gods sake, he'd only just turned twenty last month, and Tracy was going to be nineteen for two more weeks. Pushing the thought out of his mind, he returned to reality. "What? You are?" He answered, "Penny, that's something you need to tell him."

"I can't!" She cried, crouching over the sink, "If he found out, he'd leave me! I can't loose him."

Link stepped closer to her, holding Tracy's hand. "Listen," he said, "I haven't know Seaweed for very long. He's probably my only guy friend but I don't know much about him. If anything, I know that he definitely loves you with all of his heart. If you told him the truth, honestly, I think he'd be happy more than anything. Pregnancy is a big deal, but we're not kids anymore. It's not like you have to worry about your mom either."

Penny nodded, "Thanks you guys," she smiled at them. "I know I'll have to tell him, but I'm scared. I'm so scared."

"It'll be okay," Link said, "I won't say anything to him,"


	8. Chapter 8: Couch Memoirs

Seaweed absentmindedly chatted with Link's father. He had heard bad things about the guy, but he didn't seem all that bad. His mind wasn't particularly with the conversation though. What was wrong with Penny? What did he do that made her so upset and mad? Did she still love him? Did she still like him? Where was Tracy?

There.

"I'll be right back," He said to the man and made his way over to her and Link, frowning.

"Hey Seaweed." Link grinned alongside his girlfriend who mirrored him exactly.

"Hey guys," he said fiddling with his hands, "Have you seen Penny?"

They nodded.

"Is she alright? She snapped at me in the car, and that ain't ever happen before. Did I do somethin' wrong?" Seaweed asked.

Tracy and Link looked at each other, worried. How much information was too much?

"She was just a bit upset," Link trailed off, looking for words. His voice was a little nervous like he didn't know what was right and what was wrong to say, "You should talk to her about it yourself." He managed to tell him. It was the truth after all. He couldn't be the one to tell him. That'd be wrong on so many different levels.

"That's the problem," Seaweed groaned softly, dropping his head in his hands, "she won't talk to me, and when she does, it's only something quick, unless I instigate, which recently only leads up to fights. I don't know what to do anymore, man."

The blues eyed boy chewed on his lip and looked down at the floor before his face lit up, "Take her out to see the city tomorrow! She said she wanted to see the lights, right? If you loosen her up, it'll be easier to talk to her about what's wrong!"

Seaweed thought about this for a moment. He knew Penny had never been outside of Baltimore before this, and she was in a bad mood for some reason. If he could make her happy, and fulfill her dream of seeing the New York City lights, he might be able to find out what's been bothering her, and fix it. Everything would be good again. He smiled gratefully and fist-pumped the blue eyes boy, "Gee Cracker, you always know how to help. Thanks. I owe you."

"It's nothing man," Link chuckled, "Just-"

"Excuse me? Everyone," Maybelle's voice boomed to get everyone's attention. Corny stood happily next to her, lively eyes flickering back and forth between their new audience. Penny hovered next to Tracy, at the far side of Seaweed.

"We have an announcement to make." The woman went on.

Link sighed to himself. He wasn't sure how many more announcements he could deal with today. There was a seventy five precent chance that he and Tracy could never have their own family, Penny was pregnant, and now Maybelle had something to say. He prayed with all of his heart that this was something he didn't have to worry about. He hoped it was something good this time.

Corny smiled next to her, counting off in his fingers quietly while she watched, beaming.

"We're getting married!" They said at the same time, faces a blush pink.

Tracy squealed in delight as everyone in the house gave shouts of excitement. Link chuckled at this, finding her actions completely adorable and created his own cheer that was almost the same pitch as hers, making her giggle and stand on her tippy toes to wrap her arms around his neck and nuzzle close to him while he sighed contently.

"When's the wedding?" He asked, smiling bright. He leaned down and placed his chin on top of his girlfriends head.

"We were thinking October," Corny turned to him. His heart melted a bit seeing such a happy couple. There were so cute. From the moment he'd heard Link sing to her at the hop, he had loved the thought of them together. When Maybelle found out, she laughed hard and guiltily admitted that when she first met the two of them, she thought they'd be cute together too.

At the end of the day, Tracy and Link had insisted that the gang stayed with them for the night so that they wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. Most guests said that they didn't mind paying, but in the end, everyone ended up sleeping over at the apartment.

Though it was persistently said that they could stay in their bed, the hosts toke the couch just when they agreed not too. They were all sitting and laughing together, though Penny barely spoke to her boyfriend.

Tracy had gotten tired from taking care of everyone all day and quietly fell asleep cuddled against Link's shoulder. It wasn't before long that he gave a wide smile and felt his mind feel empty with tiredness as his own sleep claimed him.

And so, Tracy and Link accidentally took the couch.

"Wilbur," Edna whispered with a smile, nodding her head towards the couch, "look!"

Wilber turned to where she was indicating and quickly, his own face became soft with the fondness she was showing him. Tracy and Link were cuddled sweetly. Her head on his shoulder, his cheek against her hair. He always wanted the future to look like this. His little baby wasn't a baby anymore. Now, she had someone else to protect her. Someone he knew could handle it.

He brought a finger to his lips with a wink at his wife before taking the blue blanket from under his arm and rolling it out. Carefully, he laid it over the couple, the top just above their shoulders. Link stirred a little with a soft groan, making Wilbur flinch before the boy smiled softly in his sleep and cuddled back with Tracy.

"They remind me of us when we started dating," Edna whispered, taking both of the young adults hands and putting them together.

"Except they're way cuter than us now." Wilber commented.

His wife giggled and smiled at the two once more before deciding that this was probably the happiest point in her life.

And it was all because of them.


	9. Chapter 9: I'm not the same

"Penny," Seaweed approached his girlfriend in the morning while she was sitting on one of the kitchen stools.

She flinched at the sound of his voice, and turned slowly to face him.

He scanned her face. Her green eyes flashing with the sunlight reflecting off of them. Cheekbones high. Skin flawless. She was perfect. Had someone said something about her being with him, like they always did? No, this was bigger. She was really upset about something. He wanted with all of his heart to fix it. Up until recently, they were a very happy couple Yet now, Seaweed still couldn't figure out the question at hand. What happened to her? "Lets go somewhere," he said, hesitantly slipping his hand over hers.

She flinched. Again.

Seaweed ignored it. Swallowing back his confusion, he went on, "We can go explore, okay? We'll see the lights."

Penny drifted her gaze to where Link and Tracy sat around twelve feet away. They made eye contact quickly and the two gave her a strong nod.

Knowing that this had to be done, she looked her boyfriend in the eyes for the first time in a while, "Okay," she said softly, "but I need to get changed first."

He nodded and she pulled herself away.

"You can get dressed in the bathroom Pen," Tracy watched her reach for her suitcase, looking around.

"Alright," She smiled her best. Tracy returned the gesture, seeming more real. Her face was caring and genuine. She seemed to say 'You can do this', and Penny was more than grateful for that.

She stared at herself in the mirror and bit her lip harshly, knowing that in only a few weeks she wouldn't be able to dress like this anymore. A tear ran down her cheek as her hands almost immediately flew to the top of her stomach. A baby. Was she ready for this? How could she possibly be a mother with the example she had growing up? She didn't know the first thing about being a parent! And what hurt her the most was the fact the she was scared Seaweed would leave her. If she told him, he'd be scared. He'd be upset. He wouldn't feel ready. He'd tell her he wasn't ready to be a dad. That he had to leave.

Penny knew they weren't ready. Of course she knew that, but she was willing to try. She was with child. Her baby's life came before hers, and even if it didn't have the most extravagant life, Penny was going to make sure that it would be the happiest little baby ever born. Even if Seaweed wasn't around, if would brake her heart, and she'd be so scared that she'd cry herself to sleep every night, but she'd get through it.

She could do this.

She could do it.

She could do it.

Opening the door, she found Seaweed waiting right there for her.

No she couldn't.

"You look beautiful," he said.

 _Not in eight months I won't,_ she thought, but didn't say. Penny turned to him, giving the best smile she could make at the moment without completely bursting into tears. "Thank you."

That made him look satisfied enough. "Where do ya wanna go?" He asked once strapped inside the car.

"Can we get ice cream?" She was meek, glancing his way briefly.

"In December? Ain't it a bit cold?" Seaweed raised an eyebrow, smiling while driving smoothly down the street.

"Sometimes you need to pretend it's summer. See, I'm even wearing a skirt. Besides, it's pretty warm today." She told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Alright," he grinned, "but it'd help if I knew where a place was. It kinda reminds me of Baltimore here. Except it's busier and definitely louder than our little, crazy city."

Penny giggled at this, though she felt like she was being torn apart inside. "I'm sure there's a Dairy Queen somewhere 'round here." She said.

Soon enough, just as predicted, they arrived at a DQ.

Seaweed parked the car in the lot and sat there for a moment, clutching the steering wheel hard. "Ya know, they may not let me in," he laughed like it was a joke while fifty knives stabbed him in the chest. If he hated anything, it was segregation. Why couldn't he just go and buy an ice cream? Why couldn't he use the same bathroom as the white kids? It wasn't like he was some dangerous filthy creature. He was a person. Just like anyone else.

"...I know," Penny said softly after a bit, looking down at her legs.

They were often kicked out of places. It only effected her boyfriend more and more each time. "I can go in on my own, if you'd like. What do you want?

"No," he objected immediately, "No. I want to come. I just wanna see what happens."

She looked at him, uncertain. "You don't have to."

But he was already getting out of the car, and so, she followed, not trying to talk him out of it any further.

As he swung open the door and walked in, one of the cashiers glared at him with her grey, cold eyes. She pointed at a sign with bold red words.

'NO COLORED. WHITE ESTABLISHMENT,' It read.

"You can't be here," the woman spat.

Seaweed received minimum looks of pity as he took Penny by the hand and slowly slide back outside, heart pounding with anger and pain. Letting out a yell, he slammed his fist down onto the cars hood. "Why aren't I good enough?" He shook his head miserably.

"You are," Penny told him, "You're perfect to me."

"I just wanted to make you happy, you know?" Seaweed asked, eyes upset.

She flinched for a moment, feeling extremely guilty for keeping her secret. "...I know. It's okay." She whispered, looking down in shame, "I'm gonna go in. Do you want anything?"

He shook his head and said nothing more as she frowned and walked back into the Dairy Queen.


	10. Chapter 10: The truth

She felt eyes all over her.

"Oh, that Oreo boy finally beat it?" The cashier asked, handing her the ice cream and her change.

Penny knew better than to answer those kinds of questions. She'd always end up fighting. Not giving a final look at the woman, she walked out of the store and saw Seaweed slumped in the front seat of the car Link had leant them. Opening the door, she scooted in next to him. "Here," Penny said, handing him an ice cream, "I know you said you didn't want anything, but I figured that might've just been the anger talking."

"It's," He took it from her hand and looked to her happily, "It's my favorite."

"Yeah," She nodded and gazed down at her clasped hands. "I know." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she licked her ice cream and a pang of guilt hit her straight in the chest. Again. "Listen," she told him, frowning, "I'm sorry for yelling in the car yesterday."

"It's okay."Seaweed gave a weak half smile and shrugged deeply, taking a bite out of the side of his cone, wondering if it was a good time to say his next line. There's no way she'd just tell him out of the blue. He had to do something, "But if you tell me what's wrong, I might understand a bit better..."

"I can't." Her words came so quick painfully he wondered if she even heard him. Her blonde hair was now forming a curtain over her eyes.

"Well, why not?" Seaweed asked, turning to look at her a bit closer.

"I just can't!" She croaked struggling to find a way to make him understand without telling him her secret. "I'm sorry, I can't."

If he wasn't upset before, he was now, he gripped the steering wheel with his free hand and shook his head, "I don't get it, Penny." He said sternly, "Relationships are about trust and telling the truth! Do you even love me anymore?"

Penny furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her legs, uncomfortably fidgeting in the seat, "Of course I do." She cried.

"Then why?!" He started talking a mile a minute, just ranting out everything he was confused about and everything bothering him without noticing the tears running down his girlfriend face, "If you love me, why would you want to hide something that makes you so upset from me?! We're supposed to be a team, we're supposed to be able to tell each other our problems and comfort each other! Why are you doing this to me?! Are you trying to brake up with me?! I'm sorry I don't understand, what are you so afraid of?! What are you gonna say that'll change how I feel? What's so important to keep a secret from me?! Why don't you just trust I'll be ready to help you with whatever's wrong?!"

"Because I'm pregnant!" She cried out, stopping him from saying any more. She dropped her head down to her knees and sobbed, "I'm pregnant."

Seaweed froze and stared at her, completely numb. Now he felt like a idiot. Completely. His dark eyebrows were practically at his hairline, mouth hanging open. He watched as her ice cream melted quickly and dripped down her wrist as she cried endlessly, her hand gripping hard on her knee.

"What?" He whispered, everything he was upset about evaporating completely from him, "You're what?"

"You heard me!" Penny said, her voice braking, "Don't play games!"

He inhaled deeply and stroked the back of her head, "Penny, baby you're not gonna do that, are you?" Seaweed asked, slow and apprehensive.

Her face twisted in confusion for a moment. That? What was that? She went a bit pale. Abortion, "Oh. God no. I'm keeping my baby. It deserves a life with it's mother and It's actual mother."

"Good," he breathed out. He'd never been more relieved. "Then, I want to get married."

"What?" She asked, sniffling.

"If were going to be a family, I want to get married. It's not because of the baby, it's because I love you. I love you so freaking much, and I want to be with you forever. We're still young, but we're not kids. We can do this, and I want to get married. You were my first love, and I want you to be my last." He said, watching her cup her mouth with both hands as a tear ran down her face, "I don't have a ring to offer you. This was kinda sudden, and it'll probably take a bit to get one, you know, because I'm black, but I swear, if you say yes, you're gonna have the best damn marriage you could ever hope for."

Penny couldn't believe it. This was not how she expected the day to be at all. Her dreams were coming true. Seaweed wanted to stay with her and take care of the baby. He wanted to be a family.

"So," he smiled nervously, "What do you say? Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" She wrapped her arms around him, crying tears that were now happy and not sad. She didn't want it any other way,

"So when do you think you want the wedding?" Tracy squealed as Edna who had just found out about the baby and the proposal excitedly came up behind her and held her shoulders.

Link chuckled and nodded happily. His closest friends besides Tracy were getting married with a baby on the way. He couldn't believe it!

"Well, we were talking on the way home and we want to make sure we have enough time to make everything perfect," Penny grinned, "but I also don't want to be showing too much..."

"You'll be just fine," Seaweed kissed her forehead. He was so happy that she was back to the way she normally was. He hated having to see her so upset. Even if Penny walked down to him in a trash bag she'd be more that beautiful to him. He hoped she knew that.

"I'm so, so happy for you guys!" Maybelle grinned, and blushed as Corny held her hand.

"Our weddings gonna be sometime in March," he said, laughing, "Lets just try not to have it on the same day, okay?"

Late at night, after everyone left, Tracy and Link laid together like they have since she first got here. Tracy was curled up into his chest and he was holding her like nothing else in the world mattered. Link breathed in her scent (as creepy as that sounds) and pressed his forehead to her soft hair. "Trace?" He whispered.

She just hummed in recognition, turning to face him with her eyes still closed, urging him to go on.

"Do you miss Baltimore?" Link asked quietly.

Tracy didn't say anything for a few moments and he'd figured she'd fallen asleep, but then she spoke softly, "Well, 'course I do. It's my home. I mean, it's home here, but Baltimores' always gonna be where I came from, you know? It's not like I can sing 'Good Morning Baltimore' to New York, either." She laughed into him.

Link nodded and held her tighter. A moment of silence passed while he worked up the nerve to talk again. This time, his words were so even and soft they seemed to drift and echo through the room, "I wanna go back. Baltimores just better for us, you know? I love the city, but it's not where I belong."

"Ok," she smiled and then frowned, "but what about your show?"

"The season will be over in a month," he told her.

"And what about the next season?"

He opened one sapphire eye to her playfully and smirked, "There is no next season, doll."

"Oh," She giggled, "Baltimore then?"

"Baltimore." Link confirmed, smiling. He noticed the dazed look on her face, and decided to tease her a bit, "unless you don't want to, I could always leave you here."

"No!" She replied quickly, "I miss my little city. I wanna go!"

"Okay then," he laughed, "Just like old times."

Tracy nodded, happy with the plan to be back in her true home. "Like old times."

He stayed silent for a bit, breathing quietly before he asked, "Hey Trace, what's Good Morning Baltimore?"

She giggled, and a bit embarrassed to share her the words she wrote about him and her town, shook her head, "It's just a song," she told him.

"I've never heard that song," Link commented softly, "sing it to me?"

"No!" Tracy exclaimed, laughing.

He tilted his head, frowning, "Why not?"

"'Cause," she whispered, "It's my song..."

"You wrote it?" He asked.

"Maybe," Tracy didn't make eye contact, face hot and red.

Link grinned, "Well now I just wanna hear it even more,"

Her timid smile spread across her cheeks and she gave a laugh, "No!"

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, closing an eye to her, "But I'm gonna get you to sing, just you wait Trace."

"Link!" Liz called out cheerfully.

The boy spun his head around to see his co-stars girlfriend once again wearing contacts with her hair curled. "Hi, um- Liz." It still need some getting used to. He was so proper with using her whole first name, changing that all of a sudden was a bit weird.

"You wanna go see a movie after recording today?" She asked confidently. What was she doing? She swore she'd never be the one to ask a guy a date. She never had a real boyfriend. Or at least, she'd never had a boyfriend that wasn't Norman. Link though, he would be different. She was so desperate for his affection that she was using his loyalty as a friend against him. They were friends right?

"Uh," he sighed, glancing around, "I can't. Besides, I think Norman would be upset." Link chuckled.

"Oh, where are you going?" Liz asked. She felt like a leach. She shouldn't question him so much. He had his own life too, after all.

"You know," He shrugged, "My apartment."

Was that an invitation? She grinned inwardly and stepped a bit closer to him, head hovering just above his shoulder. "We can hang out there." She told him.

He looked almost uncomfortable. Almost. But he was doing a great job of hiding it. What was happening? "Um, sorry. I'd feel like I was betraying my girlfriend if you came over, ya know? And I love her so,"

"What?" She asked shortly, more curt than he'd ever heard her.

Link was taken aback. "My girlfriend," he said again, "she might get upset and I don't-"

"No, I heard you! Your girlfriend?!" Liz said in a whisper scream. She furrowed her brows, upset, "You're just telling me this now?! What's her name? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Yes. Tracy." Link raised an eyebrow, "Why're you so hacked at me? I didn't think you'd care."

"That lard?!" She scoffed.

Crap.

She had meant to say it in her head, but now Link had heard her, loud and clear. His usually kind, blue eyes had a new kind of fire. Not a passionate one. A fire of hate and disgust. "Hey, you'd better watch it!" He told her, standing tall, "And to think I thought you were different." Link said before turning on his heal and leaving her on the verge of tears.

"Wait! Please!" She ran after him.

He spun around abruptly and looked at her seriously, putting his hands up, "Listen Elizabeth,"

Oh no. There's the whole name again.

"You can't call my girlfriend animal fat and then come racing after me apologizing!" He told her angrily, "That's not how it works!"

"You don't get it, Link." Liz spat, unhappy as ever.

Link was practically boiling with frustration. This girl... "What? What don't I get!?"

Her voice cracked. He'd never gotten mad at her before this, "How hard I worked for you! For your attention! I fell in love with you, and then to find out you have a girlfriend, it's heartbreaking!"

"You didn't fall In love with me," Link said, "You fell in love with who you thought I was. That's not me. This is me!"

Liz wrapped her arms around his neck. "But I still like you like this too. You see, I love all of you. That Tracy girl, she means nothing." She whispered seductively.

"No!" He pried her hands off, "No! She means everything to me! Her and I, we're gonna be together forever, and we're gonna get married and have beautiful little kids, just you wait!" He didn't know why he was rambling on about kids. He knew that was only a few steps from impossible. Link pointed his finger to her and walked away, feeling somewhat resolved. He wasn't gonna look back. Not ever.


	11. Chapter 11: The intruder

"You okay?" Tracy asked with a soft, heart warming smile as Link went to greet her at the end of the day.

He had gotten more control over himself around Elizabeth, but he still looked annoyed and tired. Yet, with just the upturn of his girlfriends lips, all of his bad feeling melted away like always. "Yeah baby doll," Link said, kissing the side of her head sweetly, "Just another Amber, ya know?"

"Really?" Tracy sighed, "That sucks, now you gotta deal with Norman and an Amber. I pity you, Mr. Larkin."

He laughed at her attempt in joking with him and wrapped his arm around her. "It'll all be over soon."

"That it will," She grinned playfully back at him.

At that moment, what seemed like a thousand emotions took over Link. He couldn't say anything. He just stood there, looking at her adoringly with pink hot cheeks, lips twisted up in a sheepish smile. His heart pounded. Love, he thought, this is what it is.

It almost hurt, his insides were all twisted up like a pretzel and yet, he wasn't upset. He just felt... In love. Just like how he did on the night when he first kissed her.

"What?" She giggled rolling her eyes, a bit embarrassed because of his sudden powerful affection towards her.

His eyes, blue and swirled with feeling, searched her happily before he leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. Yep. Liz had no idea what she was talking about. Tracy was just perfect for him. "Trace?" He whispered to her, "We'll be together forever, right?"

She smiled at him, her face beaming with life. She felt butterflies in her stomach that almost made her laugh, "Yep. Forever and ever!"

Link pressed his lips softly to hers, feeling that little sparking firework sensation that he always did. It was so warm and soft. He cupped her cheek and pulled her closer, savoring the moment before touching his forehead to hers. "Good," he said, "I wouldn't want it any differently."

She nodded.

A chill ran up his spine with the sudden feeling that he was being watched. Alarmed, he shot his eyes up behind Tracy. A familiar figure ducked behind the wall, crawling back into hiding.

No way.

"Are you alright?" Tracy asked, gazing into his shocked blue eyes that were locked on something behind her. She turned her head, but he stopped her by holding her chin and making her look to him.

"I'm fine," he said hurriedly, "But we need to go."

"It is kinda cold," she giggled as he took her hand in a rush to get to the car.

"That's not what I meant," Link told her, breathless as he got both of them safely in the car, "We need to go. We need to leave New York. Now."

Tracy tilted her head in confusion, "Why?" She pondered.

"No time," He through his arm over the back of the seat and gazed out of the window behind him as the car backed up, "It's not safe here anymore. We have to go home, get Romeo and our stuff and leave as soon as possible."

"But your show-" She began.

"It doesn't matter right now," Link said quickly, "They'll figure it out. We need to leave."

"I-"

"Please," he whispered, "please. Trust me. I'll tell you. Staying here right now is just a bad idea."

"What," she trailed off as Link drove down the street, "What did you see?"

"Someone." He told her. If he gave away too much while they were still in the city, they'd have an even harder time leaving because she'd be freaking out, "I'll tell you when we get far enough from the city."

"We need to hurry," He panicked, running through the door after letting her pass. He was almost panting, sweat beading on his forehead as he grabbed Romeos leash, "Come here, bud." Link whispered, clipping it to the dogs' collar, "Make sure we get everything," He turned back to his girlfriend, voice serious, "We can't come back here."

"You're scaring me," Tracy frowned with furrowed brows, eyes soft and charming as usual. She hadn't ever seen him so frantic before this.

"Oh, I'm so sorry darlin'," Link dropped the leash and stepped over to her sadly, taking her face in his hands, "We're gonna be okay, I promise, but we need to get back to Baltimore."

"Okay," she looked up at him, a bit nervous, "I trust you. I love you."

He leaned in and kissed her warmly, making her feel a lot better than how she did, "I'm always going to love you. Forever."

She smiled and blushed, "Forever." For a second she got lost in his eyes, so bright and blue, filled with life even when he was scared. She knew he was feeling something similar too and almost forgot what they were supposed to be doing, "I'll pack in the bedroom," she said softly and hugged him, cheeks pink.

Link nodded, his skin tinted just like hers, "I'll pack in here."

"It was him I saw," He explained to her once on the highway, frowning, "It was Beckett."

Tracy gasped, looking to him with wide, scared eyes, "I thought he was in jail!"

"He was," Link licked his teeth, "He broke out a month or so ago. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be worried. He won't find you I promise. He thinks we're still in New York, baby."

She didn't say anything, just looked down at her legs.

He could tell that she was remembering back when Beckett was still working at WYZT. She was so tough. Link knew that if that happened to him, his skin would be crawling every second of the day, and yet, she kept pulling through. She hadn't mentioned his name for months, but now, he could tell she was antsy. He smiled sadly at her, "Hey," He whispered, soft and loving, "I'm going to protect you. You'll be okay. I wanted to leave. The longer we stayed there, the better the chances that he'd be able to hurt you when I wasn't around. I couldn't have that, Trace, but you'll be safe now. I can keep you safe."

"Thank you," she whispered, "can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you wanna leave in the first place? Before you saw him. You were getting somewhere in New York. It's where history's made. We both know that you won't get very far back in Baltimore." Tracy said, "Why'd you give it up?"

Link sighed with a smile, chewing on the inside of his cheek, "I don't think acting's my thing. I haven't found that thing I wanna do that's special to me. I decided, I didn't want to be that couple that's constantly moving, not ever making friends, always leaving people behind. I just wanna be surrounded by all the people who except me as not only Lincoln Larkin, the old tv idol, but as Link, who's just a normal, regular boy. People that embrace the weirdness inside me that no one else knows about. That's my idea of family. Besides, Penny and Seaweed are gonna need our help with the wedding. They got me thinking about the future too."

"The future?" Tracy repeated, glancing towards him, his blue eyes sparkling with the sunsets light.

"Us." He said simply, turning and giving her a smile. "Our future."

"What do you think it'll be like?" She asked him, waving her hand in front of her slowly, like she was envisioning something, "Ten years from now? What will we be like?"

"Well," he breathed out, "I'd be thirty, which is a bit of a terrifying thought." Link paused for a moment, wondering if he should go as far as saying what he wanted to say next. Taking a leap of confidence, he spit out his words without a second thought, "We'd probably be married." He wasn't about to start talking about children. He didn't want her to get her hopes up that she'd be able to. Who was he kidding anyway, though? She didn't know there was anything wrong with her. However, he couldn't tell her. It'd be so wrong. What had happened to her made his heart break every time he thought about it. If- When she finds out, she'll be beyond upset. He knew that. She'd be upset that everyone kept her condition from her. She'd be mad at herself for not being able to carry a little life normally. She might even fall into depression. Link would have to be there for her, even if she wanted to blow his head off. He loved her.

That night, the two slept in a hotel, wanting to surprise their families in the morning. When they showed up at Tracy's old home, her eyes were wide. She looked at the building, the crooked sign that said in cursive loopy letters, "Edna's Occidental Laundry", the old tan bricks she was so used to before. She even saw some of her old neighbors.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Link said, stepping next to her. She nodded. He could see them sitting there on the steps like they used to, laughing about the clouds and homework. Things had changed, but he wasn't unhappy. Romeo licked his lips and looked up at him, seeming to remember the place as well.

With Link's signal which was a simple chuckling, "Go ahead," he raced up to the door, whining.

"Shall we enter, good sir?" Tracy smiled at him.

He felt a pang of déjà vu from back when they were in high school and returned her gesture with her own words, "Yes, we shall."

"Link?" Wilbur asked, as he as about to leave. He pulled to boy close, right next to the door.

"Hmm?" He tilted his head.

The older man was blushing. Actually blushing. "I need your help with something.."

Link smiled. He wanted him to help him with something? That was a start, right? Maybe Tracy's dad liked him after all, "Sure! What's up?"

Wilbur shuffled his feet nervously and chewed on his lip, "I want dancing lessons. From you. At Penny and Seaweed's wedding, I want to be able to dance with Tracy."

A smile spread across Links face, noticing how much he cared for his daughter. He wanted to have something special he can do with her. Something she'd remember.

"I-I'll pay!" Wilbur stuttered. He wanted this so badly.

"No need," The boy put his hand up, "I'll teach you, but we're gonna need your wife."

"Thanks for doing this with me," Penny commented, turning her head to look at Tracy with a smile, "I'm really excited."

"Of course, Pen! We're practically sisters," She told her, hand running over a few different dresses of all different colors, "What are besties for?"

Penny hugged her tight with a content sigh, "Don't tell Link, but I'm really, really happy to have you back here with me again. You mean so much to me."

Tracy giggled and looked at her gently, "Aww, Penny I'm gonna be around for a really, really long time, and I'm here to support you now. Best friends for life, right?" She said, and the two girls did their best friend handshake, laughing the whole time. Time couldn't keep them apart. They had been friends since second grade after all. They couldn't be happier.

"So, what kind of bridesmaids dresses were you two looking for?" The heard from behind them. The voice was sugary sweet. They'd heard it before. More than once.

Spinning around, they saw her, hair up in an orange bun, eyes piercing blue as always. The woman caught them off guard.

Tracy couldn't even speak. She wasn't expecting her to be here. It could be worse, but this wasn't something she wanted happening.

Penny was the first to speak, voice cracking, "Shelly?"


	12. Chapter 12: Zachary

"Let me warn you, I'm not as good as Tracy," Link chuckled, "but I've danced with her on a number of occasions, so I think this'll help,"

Edna and Wilbur nodded determinedly as he twisted his shirt so it wasn't backwards and slid his arms through it.

"So, lets go through it again. Five, six, seven, eight!" He cheered and started the dance again. The two had caught on to his moves pretty quickly, and were now almost completely synchronized with him, "You've got this down!" He grinned, "You're gonna do great."

"Thanks Link, really." Wilbur said, "My baby's not a baby anymore, but at least I'll have this with her. Somethin' special."

"She's gonna be really proud of you guys," Link told him, smiling from ear to ear, "I know it."

"Tracy? Penny?" Shelly gasped, "Is it really you?"

The two girls nodded, completely synchronized, mouths hanging open a bit.

"Oh my gosh!" The ginger gushed, jumping up a little, "I haven't seen you guys in forever! Oh wait, if you're here, then one of you is getting married!" She squealed.

"I am," Penny smiled, "to Seaweed."

"Aww, I'm so, so happy for you!" Shelly grinned, clapping her hands together. "Listen, I know I probably wasn't the nicest to you guys in high school, but I'm different now. I wanna set all of that aside. I'm with IQ now. He showed me how great it felt to be nice to people and helped me change."

Tracy thought about Link's jealousy over IQ and smiled. Him and Shelly would definitely be good news for her boyfriend. "That's really great!" She beamed, "Its good to start over sometimes."

"Thanks Tracy," Shelly cooed and led them through a few bridesmaid dresses samples. She turned back and looked at her with a smirk, "So how 'bout you? Do you have anyone special?"

The girl giggled and blushed at bit at her gesture and nodded, "Link."

"I'm glad you're still together," She told her, grinning, "a lot of the couples we knew back in high school are split up. It's really great to see we've still got you two, and who knows, maybe someday soon you'll be walking down that aisle to him in a white dress on the best day of your life."

"So?" Tracy smiled at her her best friend as they left the store. They'd have to return later, to finalize things but at least not they had some time to think, "Anything you like?"

"The purple ones were pretty," Penny chewed on her lip, "I think they'd look great on everyone," She paused as a strange picture popped into her head, "well, maybe not Link. Can you imagine him in a lavender bridesmaid dress?"

The two girls processed the thought for a second, just letting that image soak into their brains before exploding with laughter.

"You ready to go home?" Tracy asked, wiping tears from her eyes, "Seaweed probably misses you."

"Actually," Penny trailed off with a breath, frowning, "there's one more place I wanna go."

"Sure," Tracy smiled, buckling her seatbelt as her friend took the wheel, "Where're we goin'?"

She took a breath a looked at her with a half smile, "Not where you'd expect."

"Are you sure 'bout this Pen?" Tracy asked at they arrived, "I'll wait in the car if you want."

"No," she said in a whisper as she knocked on the door, "I need you to be there with me."

The girl opened her mouth, but before she could, the wooden door was already thrown open.

"Penny?" The woman inside gasped, cupping her mouth with her hands.

Prudy hadn't changed much. She looked a bit older overall she'd stayed pretty much the same. Tracy didn't forgive her. There was no way in hell that she could. Anyone that would to that to their own daughter was horrible and she hoped with all she had that she wouldn't end up like that too. Hurting her own kids. No there was no way she could even imagine that. "Hello Ms. Pingleton." She said dryly.

Prudy merely nodded to her before returning to her daughter, "You've come home! I knew you would!" She grinned, seeming innocent.

But the two girls knew better. They looked at each other and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not staying here." Penny told her, "I just came to talk. It's important."

"Oh," She deflated a bit, slouching back, "Then, I guess I'll make some tea..."

Tracy followed Penny and her mother into the house and looked around. She felt and ball in her throat. Literally nothing had changed from when she was last there and she could tell Penny felt it too. "This place, it brings back memories." She said, slow and quiet.

"Good ones or bad ones?" Penny whispered back to her, looking a bit freaked out to be home again.

Tracy shrugged and let her eyes flicked around the room, "A bit of both I guess."

Seaweed had chosen Link to be his best man and he was thrilled. Ever since he was young, Link had wanted to be the one standing right besides someone on their special day, and now he finally was going to be able to live out the dream.

But he was scared.

He was so scared.

Not to be a best man. It was an honor to be Seaweed's most trusted friend, but he was worried for something else.

He was worried for him. He knew how people were. He knew that most (almost all) folks didn't approve over a black and white marriage. What would happen if someone was to object? When someone objected, did it matter? They would be shamed. He knew that, but Penny and Seaweed were meant for each other. Link couldn't pair them up with anyone else.

All the wedding planning he'd been doing with Seaweed made him think about Tracy. What would their day be like? He knew that when he saw her, he'd probably cry. Not sob, but there would definitely be a few tears. He loved Tracy with all of his heart, and Tracy loved him. He had shown her other sides of himself. Sides no one else besides his maybe father had ever seen. His lazy side, His emotional side, his constantly worried side. She knew all of them. When was the right time to get married? How long would he have to wait? There was no way he was prepared to keep it on hold for five years. He'd feel like he was wasting his life away. Either way, first they'd have to move out of that hotel room. He needed to get a job. If he really wanted to go through with all this, he needed to at least be somewhat stable financially. But what would he do? Maybe acting wasn't perfect him, but if he didn't have dancing and acting what was he going to do? Maybe he spent to much time thing about a life of fame and not enough on his actual future.

"Dad?" Link smiled, walking back into his old home. The boy took a look around and chuckled. The smell and feel of his old home came rushing back to him, and he felt like a little kid again. Sitting at the counter eating cookies with his mother. He remembered her teaching him French, singing the words slower when he got tounge tied on a few difficult sentences. His chest warm and heavy and he felt himself grinning without realizing it.

"Link!" His father exclaimed, running down the hall.

"Hey!" Link smiled gratefully and he and his dad embraced, "I missed you so much!"

"How do you feel about it?" He asked, sitting at the table.

Thomas looked down at his hands and licked the inside of his cheek, "I don't know. It's not really anyone but their business."

"I respect them," Link said, "They're really brave, but that's the point. Are they brave enough? Can they deal with all the criticism from everyone? I'm just worried, ya know? Those guys are two of my closest friends! I don't want anyone it bother them..."

His father laid his head done on his closed hand and sighed, pale eyes flicking over the wedding invitation, "yeah," he whispered, "I get it, but there's not much you can do. People will be people. Folks can be cruel and sometimes you just can't do anything about it. Don't get me wrong, I love those two so much, but they need to figure it out themselves. I want to support them."

"Tea's ready!" Prudy called out, stumbling her way back into the living room with a tray with tea cups balanced atop it. She placed it down on the coffee table and took her own

cup as the girls did the same.

"Thank you." Tracy mumbled.

Ms. Pingleton nodded and watched Penny as she took a lavender card out from her pocket, "I came here to give this to you." She said, stretching out her arm to hand her mother the thick paper.

"What's this?" Prudy asked, taking it and scanning over the words. Her face went a little white. "You're getting married? To the negro boy?"

"His name is Seaweed," Tracy sighed with a frown before her friend reminded her to try not to fight with her mom. Things would probably get bad faster than she could imagine.

"Yes," Penny trailed off, "and you've caused me a lot of trouble over the years. I know you don't like him, but I want my mother to be there on my wedding day. Especially since-" she cut herself short.

"Since what?" Prudy looked at her softly.

The girl took a breath and fiddled with her hands. There was no point in hiding it now. "I'm having a baby."

Her mom gasped and she could almost feel Tracy panicking beside her.

"With the negro boy?!" Prudy sounded horrified.

She nodded.

Her mother started crying. Actually crying, "God forgive my daughter for her sins. I'm sure she'll abort-"

"No!" Penny stood up quickly, "I'm keeping it! I know for sure I'm going to be its mother! Seaweed and I have already started thinking of names! I want my baby to have grandparents that love it! He or she deserves at least that much!"

This only made Prudy cry more, clasping her hands together like she was praying.

Penny shook her head and Tracy stood up next to her. She could tell it was time to go.

"Forget it," the blonde spat, "Don't come because I don't want you there!"

Her mother gasped at she turned on her heel and stormed out, Tracy following only a few steps behind her.

"Today was... interesting to say the least." Link said as his girlfriend laid down next to him.

"Like how?" She asked softly. The day was strange for her too. It wasn't a good one.

"Oh, ya know," he said, looking for something to say other than giving your parents dance lessons, "It just was strange,"

"My day was kinda scary," Tracy commented.

"Scary? Didn't you go looking at bridesmaid dresses with Penny?" Link asked.

She nodded and looked at him with a smile, "We saw Shelly there. She's getting married,"

He closed his eyes, "Oh, really? Good for her!"

"She's marrying IQ."

Link shot up like the room had suddenly caught on fire. His bright blue eyes were wide like dinner plates. He gasped and clutched the sheets under him. "Wait what?" His jaw dropped, making her laugh and nod.

Quickly, his face stretched into a grin and he fist pumped the sky, "Yeah, I win!"

"So?!" The couple asked, squeezing in close together to hear the small voice that was on the other line of the phone.

"Well..." Penny chuckled with Seaweed who was in the kitchen and had heard both Tracy and Link's voices from where the phone was in the living room. The girl's hand settled atop her growing stomach and she smiled lovingly, "He's a boy, and his name's Zachary."


	13. Chapter 13: Night Terrors

"No!" Tracy heard a scream one night while she was sleeping. She woke with a jolt and felt the bed almost vibrating under her.

What the-?

Tracy to the side and was shocked and upset at what she saw. Link was laying there, in a white t-shirt. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was grabbing hard at the sheets. The boy shook his head back and forth rapidly, breathing heavy. "No!" He choked out again, sweat beaded on his forehead, chest, and in his hairline. She could tell he was perspiring, even in the dark.

"Hey," She attempted a hushed whisper, moving closer, reaching out her hand to touch his warm cheek. "Link?" She said, "It's okay! It's alright!" Her heart pounded heavy in her chest. He was okay right?

Getting no different response, she trailed her hands down with a worried sigh to his shoulders and shook them gently, "Hey," Tracy tried, a bit louder this time. Her voice cracked, in fear that he was in pain. She watched him shuffle around and growl through his clenched teeth, making fists while holding the bed sheets in balls between his fingers. "Please no," His chest rose and fell and a collection of tears slipped down his cheeks, while he painfully pushed out another scream from his throat. "Please!" He sobbed.

"Link!" Tracy cried, pushing his hair from out of his face, "Wake up!"

His eyes shot open wide, terrified. He shook and looked up and her face with a breath of relief. "Trace!" He gasped, and lunged forward, cradling her in his arms, nose buried in her hair, "You're okay!" His breathing became slightly less heavy as he recovered from the nightmare he had.

He had been in a white room, beeps slowly echoing through his head. The vibe of the whole place was all too familiar. He had a sickening feeling in his chest. A potted plant was placed boringly on a brown stool, sitting there like it was the only thing they could find.

Jumping a bit, he heard a shuffling behind him and was scared when he saw someone he never thought he'd be seeing again. His breath hitched as he ran to their bedside immediately. The woman smiled at him, tears dripping down her face. "Oh, my Link. I've missed you so much."

"Mom!" He cried, reaching out to take her pale, shaking hand. Her face was bruised and purple in spots, dark like an eggplant. A bandage was wrapped around her head. She was only a good fifteen years older than him like this, and he wasn't very sure why he was seeing her now.

"My sweet, sweet boy! You've grown up so nicely. You've become such a handsome young man!" His mom shakily touched his cheek, "Im so glad that I got to see you again!"

"I missed you," Link whispered, "I've missed you so much, and so does dad. I talk about you with my girlfriend, Tracy all time! Gee, you'd love her, Ma. She's got the purest heart." He looked into her eyes, wanting nothing more than to tell her about what's been happening all these years.

"I'm sure I would!" She smiled with a giggle, her dim blue eyes flicking over to her heart monitor for a moment. "Listen Link, Baby, I'm running out of time. I love you so, so much!"

"Wait, what do you mean, 'running out of time'?" Link leaned forward, alarmed to say the least. "Where you going?"

A tear rolled down her cheek and she pulled down the blanket so he could see a huge bruise along with scrapes and cuts decorating her stomach. One of her arms looked bended backwards. Her leg had a gash. "I have to leave. I have to go back."

"What?" He whispered. Realization finally hit him like a fifty pound sand bag and his face turned red as tears flooded his features without him being able to stop them, "No," he broke down, "No, no, no. I- You can't leave me again. Not after we'd finally seen each other after eight years. It's not fair!" He cried as she cupped his face.

"I know," she said softly, "I love you."

"Don't say goodbye!" He crumbled, "Please! I love you! Don't leave me!"

But it was too late. The line went flat as her eyes closed, arm falling limp by her side. "No!" He choked and looked up at the ceiling, "Bring her back!" Link cried, "Please!"

"I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh, Link, that's horrible..." Tracy whispered and her boyfriend shook, face in his hands. Warmly, she wrapped her arms around him and he laid his head on her shoulder.

"And then, as if that wasn't enough, it kept on going. I saw you. You were so happy. You were going to have a baby. Then-" He choked on sobs, tears hot and wet against her skin.

"Shh..." She put a hand through his dark hair, "It's okay."

"You had a miscarriage. The baby died. You were so sad. You wouldn't say anything. You wouldn't eat anything. You were like, numb, And It hurt so bad. My chest felt like it was getting stabbed over and over again." His breath hitched as he shook in her arms, "Then, one day, you took the car out. You didn't say where you were going. You'd been gone for what seemed like hours and then I got a phone call. It told me there had been an accident and-" He couldn't take it anymore. Link was crying harder than he could remember himself doing ever.

"Hey," she put her fingers under his chin, leaning forward to touch her forehead to his, voice and light and gentle in the night, "That's not going to happen. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. I'm just fine. We'll be okay. I love you so much. I could never leave no matter what. I promise."

"I don't want to be apart from you," He cried, shaking his head and looking back up to her, eyes shining blue like a cats, "I just wanna stay for you forever and grow up with you. I wanna be able to hold you every night that you're upset. I wanna be the one who makes you feel safe and at home."

"You are, Link."

"I'm sorry," He cried, "I'm so pathetic. I'm grown and still crying over a nightmare. The last time I had one like that was when I was thirteen."

Tracy shook her head and kissed his forehead, reassuring him that she was there, and she loved him more than anything in the world. "Link," she breathed, "I don't even know what to say. It makes me so mad that this is happening to you. I just want you to always be happy. For everything to always be perfect all the time, because I hate seeing you so broken. Listen, I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here. You'll never have to be alone at times like this, okay? I'm here." She whispered as he slowly fell asleep again, breathing quick and shaky, "I'm here."

"What if it doesn't fit anymore?" Penny asked quietly. It was the day of her wedding. She was elated yet totally and completely terrified. She couldn't go out there showing too much.

"It will," Tracy reassured her with a smile, sitting at the foot of the bed, "don't be scared. I promise you Seaweed would think you looked beautiful even if you stepped out on that aisle wearing a trash can."

Penny sighed, "I know, he's just like that, but I want to feel beautiful too. Not like some girl who's getting married just because her baby needs a father. This needs to be real."

Tracy knew she felt strongly about what her wedding would turn out like. Then she remembered something and it was something strong enough to make her heart ache. "Do you regret it?" She asked quietly, remembering what had gone down a few months ago.

"Do I regret what?" Penny asked innocently, tilting her head in confusion while eyeing the bowl of lollipops on a stool nearby.

"Your mom," Her maid of honor sighed and bit her lip. Was it really worth talking about? It could get Penny all riled up before her big day, but the specific topic hadn't spoken about for a really long time. This was important.

"I..." Penny whispered, looking down to the bulge under her shirt showing that she was actually carrying a little life, "I don't know. I wish my family wasn't so insane though, you know? My mother's just psychotic. I don't know if I can trust her around Zach. What if she tries to teach him the way that she taught me?"

Tracy let out a breath and bit her lip, "Yeah, I get it." She commented softly, "it's just all kinda messed up, but she's gonna have to meet Zachary at some point, she's gonna be his grandmother.

Think about it. You, Seaweed and Inez grew up without a father, Link's mother died when he was only twelve and for a really long time he had no relationship whatsoever with his dad. If Zachary doesn't have a grandma, he'll start asking about her. He's gonna hear other kids talking about their grandmas and get upset and confused. Besides we didn't give her much time to speak after we told her you were pregnant and getting married."

"You're right Tracy," Penny smiled, hugging her best friend like they were still thirteen year olds. They had been together for so, so long, she realized. And now, they were becoming families right before her eyes, "Ill try to talk to her." Penny said then grinned and fist pumped to air, "Now let's get this wedding

 **Sorry I took so long to update...:( the next chapters going to be extra long!**


	14. Chapter 14: True love

A week ago, a week before the wedding, a shallow knock was heard on Edna and Wilbur's door and both were elated to find Link on the other side. It was a little strange, as he wasn't accompanied by their daughter, but they were delighted to see him either way.

Link however, was beyond nervous. He shifted his feet along with his gaze between the two of them, hand in his pocket, pushing a certain box around. And after they invited him in with greetings and smiles and shut the door behind him he said, "I need to ask you something."

"Hey,"

Link spun his head around to see Tracy, beautiful as ever. He smiled and reached for her hand. "Hi baby," he whispered, "You look beautiful."

She laughed and leaned onto his arm, "Not too shabby yourself, Mr. Larkin."

"I'm excited," Link looked out past a few people on to the isle Penny was to walk down right after him and Tracy, "I'm glad we get to go together. Down there."

"It's special, right?" She sighed, "Penny looks great by the way. Like a bride."

"Well," he chuckled, taking a breath, "she is one. It's insane, I remember when I was little, learning and getting taller every day, but now, it's crazy! My friends are getting married. I'm grown, but inside, I feel like a little boy."

"Is your dad ready?" One of the planners asked.

Penny froze on the spot, her heart feeling like lead in her chest. He eyes widened, "My... My what?" She asked, though she knew exactly what he said.

"Your father," He said, a little harsher than before, "Is he ready to walk with you or not?"

Penny breathed heavily within seconds. She hadn't thought about that through all the excitement. Her dad was in prison. She was going to walk down that isle alone. A tear dripped down her cheek quickly and he panicked.

"Oh god, no no no!" He gasped, searching for a napkin, "Don't cry, Penny, your makeup!"

But that only make her more upset.

"Stop crying! Please!"

"What the hell's going on in here?" Corny burst into the room and took a fast notice of Penny's tears, "Pen!" He said, "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Mr. Collins!" She shook her head as the planner attempted to keep her mascara on her. "I'm okay!"

"If you were okay, you wouldn't be sobbing ten minutes before your wedding starts," he told her, "Did something happen? With Seaweed?"

"No," she whimpered, "Its just... I have no one! Not one person!"

"What do you mean?" She had plenty of people that came to see her.

"My mom, my dad," Penny whimpered, "do you see them anywhere? They're never here for me! They never wanted me!"

Corny was suddenly quiet, feeling for her deeply before he gave her a meek smile and his face softened. He said, "I get it. I was raised an accident. Unwanted. An obligation." He shook his head, trying hard to get those upsetting thoughts out of his mind. "But Penny, It's not like that for you. You're surrounded by your friends who love you so much. We will always be there for you, okay? Because you mean everything and we wouldn't give you up for the world."

She hugged him and stopped crying, his words having a greater effect on her than ever before, "Thank you, Mr. Collins."

He grinned and smoothed down her hair, "Call me Corny." He told her and turned to leave before she called out to him again.

"Corny wait!"

Corny turned and look back at her, confused.

"Will you do it?" She asked timidly, looking up at him through her lashes, "Walk me down the isle?" His eyes widened and she hurried to explain herself, "It's just, I may not have a real dad, but through the years, you've been the only one there for me. You took me in, like I was really, somehow, special." She struggled to keep her tears in and sniffed, "I don't know how you see me, or if you'd even want to, but I-"

"Penny, Penny, Penny, stop." Corny waved his arms frantically. He met eyes with her and put his hands on her shoulders, "I would love to walk you down the isle."

And so he did, and when Penny finally reached her fiancé she looked over into the crowd and saw a face there she never thought she would. There, in one of the back rows, sat Prudy Pingleton, smiling with tears down her face. Penny was beyond surprised and to be honest, a bit angry soon seeing her at first, but then she looked back to Seaweed who was watching her mother as well. He turned back to her and only squeezed her hand with a smile, and she thought if nothing else but him. They asked if there was any objections and Penny froze, not daring to look at her mom. A moment of dreadful silence passed and it seemed like everyone was thinking the same thing: "Dear god, don't let her say anything." And to everyone's surprise, she didn't. Not a word or sound.

Then came the vows. Seaweed was ecstatic. He couldn't believe his luck, marrying a beautiful, sweet girl, having a loving family, The best friends ever. He felt Link's hand press into the small of his back as he was expected to give his vows before letting go, telling him, "Its your time now." Without actually speaking.

"Penny," Seaweed breathed, "From the moment I saw you, I just knew it'd be you and me. And I know that sounds cliché, but it's true. My heart pounded really hard and I got seriously lightheaded." He paused, "I was completely sure that we'd be together."

The crowd awed and Tracy smiled, wondering if somehow her day could be as magical as this one. She looked over at Link, who was smiling right back at her. He winked, something she hadn't seen in quite a while and to be honest, almost forgot about. Love pulsed into her chest strongly as Seaweed continued.

"I don't have enough words to explain how much I love you. I want to spend every day with you. I don't care that you're white and I'm black. I wouldn't care if you were different to me in any other way either. You will always be you inside, and I promise you, I'll always be me. Forever."

Penny tried to hold back her tears. She blinked rapidly and began her own vow to him, "Seaweed. I love you. I love you so much, and I won't give up on you or myself. If we have a hard time, I'll believe that we'll get through it. I know we can. I'll love you until the day I die and beyond that. I'll treasure you and apologize after I make some stupid mistake, and forgive you if you make one. I won't leave your side. I'll be with you forever, take care of you, and be the best I can be, because we only have one life." She took a sniff and breath, "And I wanna spend the rest of mine with you."

The members of their wedding practically burst into tears as they gave there "I do's".

"By the power vested in me," the minister said, "by the church, and by the state of Maryland, I pronounce you, Penelope and Seaweed as wife and husband, wedded lawfully before god." He smiled, "You may kiss the bride."

Everyone at the ceremony erupted in cheered and cries of joy, tears spilt from more than just one, and Seaweed swooped down and softly pressed her mouth against Penny's, feeling all at once, complete.

"Penny," Prudy whispered softly at the end of the ceremony.

"Mom..." Penny, who was beside her new husband spun her head around, and Seaweed put his hand on her shoulder, ready to defend her if he must. "Why're you here?" Penny asked.

She chuckled, tears in her eyes as she met her daughter's cold gaze. "I'm so sorry," she said, "I know you don't want me talking to you of all people."

The girl shrugged, almost a nod, urging her to continue.

"And I know I've been a horrible mother to you, and horrible to Seaweed because of the color of his skin. I realize it now, you two love each other. You're truly in love and you're différence can't change that." Tears rolled down her cheeks and she struggled to wipe them away, "Every day, since you left, I've thought to myself, 'How could I have possibly done those horrible things to my baby? How could I live with myself? How could I fix it?' And the truth is, I'm sure you know, there's no way I can. There is something I can do though. Become better. I'm going to have a grandchild. I've always dreamed of this and it all seems so far away. So now I'm asking you as a mother yourself, Penny. You don't need to forgive me, heck, I can't see how I'd forgive me, but give me a chance. Please. I want to be part of your life again, I want to meet my grandchild, I want to be better more than I can tell! I'll support both of you through whatever comes your way. I'll-"

She was cut off when she felt her daughter's arms around her and heard a whisper, "Zach." The girl said.

Prudy's voice shaked, eyes wide, "What?"

Penny let go and looked at her, "His name's Zachary and he needs a grandmother."

Her mother was speechless.

"I don't forgive you." Penny told her, "I may never forgive you for what you did to me, but my child is not going to not have a grandma because of it. He needs you. And I need a mom."

"Uh, hi." Link cleared his throat into the microphone, straightening his tie a bit with a nervous glance at Tracy. The crowd silence them self as he began to speak. "For those of you who don't know," he grinned, "my name is Link and I'm the best man." He received cheers and smiles all around, which just about made his day, "Thank you!" He nodded, "Thank you guys for joining us. To be very honest with you, I'm slightly nervous making this speech right now, and it's not the speaking. You see, all day, people have been wishing me good luck and someone even gave me flowers. Well, when I say 'flowers,' I mean 'a wreath'..." People laughed and he pointed to his table where the actually wreath sat before explaining, "I'm serious it's right there! So up until now I've been wondering if I was going to get knives thrown at me or something! So I would appreciate it if you didn't do that. Um, I'm not really the best writer. Like, I can't write at all, but for these two, I couldn't stand by and not even try to make something of my nonexistent skills, so I tried writing my speech over and over and over again, but couldn't find the words to express how much I love these two together." Everyone chuckled and awe'd at his statement, making his cheeks go a bit pink, but nevertheless, he continued, "So here's what I want to say, straight of my mind about Seaweed and Penny. I've known them both for- what is it, three years now?" His blue eyes widened, "Jeez, I didn't even realize how long it's been. Anyway, these two had a connection that a lot of people now a days don't believe in, and that's love at first sight. Alright, call me cheesy, but it's true. My girlfriend'll tell you, 'When their eyes met, it was like fire.'" He said, making various hand gestures, and Tracy couldn't help but blush and giggle, "It's totally true though," he smiled, "I might make a lot of jokes and horrible puns, but when I say these two were made for each other, I mean it. Seaweed is like the brother I never had. We're kinda not the expected pair, but we get along and fight like we were raised together. Really though, You guys, Meeting you has made me a whole new person from who I used to be. I never knew about anything outside of my personal bubble, and you changed that, so thank you. Penny you look beautiful, and Seaweeds very lucky to have you."

"Thank you," Penny mouthed, smiling.

He nodded back, "So now I want to thank Tracy and the other bridesmaids for being absolutely awesome," He reached over to the edge of the stage where Tracy was nearby, and held her hand, "and I wanna thank the band for playing things I could never pull off. Penny, Seaweed," He turned back to them, "I hope you guys live in love and send you lots of it." The crowd cheered and he grinned, blushing, "Thank you everyone and goodnight!"


End file.
